Why The Blue Meanie Is Surprised Paul Heyman Accepted WWE Hall Of Fame Nomination

The WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024 is starting to take shape, with former ECW promoter and Roman Reigns' current onscreen Special Counsel Paul Heyman and legendary Japanese wrestler Bull Nakano set to be inducted during WrestleMania 40 week in Philadelphia. Commenting on Heyman's induction, former ECW star The Blue Meanie said he was surprised to see his former boss accept the honor.

"Because, knowing Paul, Paul's probably thinking, 'Hey, I'm just getting started. My career's not over; I'm still active,'" Meanie said on "Busted Open Radio." "To Paul, his best work is still yet to come. And to go in this early, to him, I think he would have maybe fought it. But Paul's been a huge part of my career, a huge part of my life. I don't know where I would be in my life without pro wrestling. And I certainly don't know where I would have been if Raven and Stevie [Richards] hadn't presented me to Paul, [and] if Paul hadn't gone, 'Yeah, let's give this kid a try.' And not only did he give me a try, he allowed me to make mistakes and learn from mistakes."

Meanie became Stevie Richards' sidekick after signing for ECW in the mid-1990s — Richards was a part of the Raven's Nest stable during this period. The pair would later join forces with Super Nova — also formerly known as Simon Dean in WWE — and formed the bWo, a parody of the legendary nWo faction that was a key part of WCW's storylines at the time. After leaving ECW for WWE in 1998, Meanie returned to Heyman's now-defunct promotion for a brief run in 2000. He would later appear at the WWE-produced ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view in 2005.

If you use quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.